Malaysian e-Visa for Pakistanis – Everything You Need to Know

Psst, for more travel and lifestyle-related posts, follow the blog on Facebook and Instagram.

Truth be told, half the reason I applied for an e-visa over a regular one was pure laziness (people have attempted to christen me lazy leech and other such “original” nicknames many times over the span of my life; thankfully none of them have ever stuck *breathes huge sigh of relief*). The other half of the reason, of course, I attribute to my risk-taking side that likes to make special appearances whenever it so much as catches a whiff of the world ‘travel’. “What does applying for an e-visa have to do with risk-taking?” you might ask. Allow me to explain.

The E-Visa Mystery

Like all other travel-related decisions, my e-visa application was accompanied by hours of research. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a whole lot of helpful information that I could find that was specific to Pakistan. Travel agents didn’t seem to know such a thing existed. Yet, there was an official website offering Malaysian e-visas for Pakistanis. I went ahead and applied for one. It took 24 hours to arrive. Once it did, I thought I was set! This is where the mysterious part begins.

Just to be safe, I kept calling the Malaysian High Commission in Karachi to get the legitimacy of the e-visa verified. After 3 days of (almost) obsessive calling, someone finally picked up and told me there was no such thing. He wasn’t willing to offer any other explanations. This scared me enough to apply for a regular visa 4 days before my trip, as a backup. But it didn’t make any sense. If Pakistanis were eligible for e-visas then why didn’t anyone seem to know about it? One explanation I had was that Pakistanis had only become eligible for the e-visa in May 2017 so it might not be common knowledge yet. However, this still didn’t explain why the Consulate in Karachi was clueless on the subject. We shall return to that later.

While all of this was happening, I vowed to myself that once I had all the info, I would make sure it was available for anyone else who might be interested in applying for an e-visa to Malaysia from Pakistan. Mainly because I didn’t want anyone else to go through all the nervous trauma I did (just sprinkling in a little bit of melodrama for fun).

So, let me share with you everything I know (you can thank me in cookies and cupcakes):

Are Pakistanis eligible for e-visas to Malaysia?

Addressing the obvious first. The answer is yes, as of May 2017.

Why should I apply for an e-visa over a regular one?

Not having to leave the house might appear to be the apparent answer. But the e-visa is also much cheaper and faster.

E-visa Charges: $25 (processing fee) + INR 600 (visa fee). The fee is charged in two parts and can be paid online with any credit or debit card. The total amounts to approx. PKR 3650.

Regular Visa Charges: PKR 7500 (Visa Fee) + PKR 1000 (Agent Charges). You have to apply through one of the designated agents, you can’t apply directly. Total PKR 8500.*

The e-visa takes about 24-48 hours.

Regular visa takes 5-10 days.

*These are the most recent charges as of June 2017.

How To Apply

The official e-visa website is www.windowmalaysia.my. There are other websites also offering e-visas but this is the only one authorized by the Malaysian government. It also appears on the official High Commission of New Delhi website here.

Documents You’ll Need

You need the digital equivalent of all the same documents you would need for the other, regular visa application:

A photograph (exact dimensions are available on the WindowMalaysia website)

Other Things You Need to Know

The visa is processed through the High Commission in New Delhi. This is why the fee is charged in INR and the place of issue on the e-visa appears as New Delhi.

Since this is a paper visa (like the Dubai one) you have to get an OK to Board from your airline booking office before you travel. Edit: People who have travelled on this visa have shared that it is no longer necessary to get an OK to Board. You can read some firsthand experiences here.

The single-entry, tourist visa is valid for 3 months from the date of issue and allows the visa-holder to stay a total period of 30 days in Malaysia.

My Story

I ended up using my sticker visa since I had already been through too much drama to risk creating any more with my e-visa. However, there was another person on my flight who also had an e-visa and who I later saw had made his way through immigration. Also, another girl from Pakistan who travelled on an e-visa a couple of weeks after me shared her experience on TripAdvisor here.

The Final Word

I still don’t understand why the Malaysian High Commission in Karachi doesn’t seem to have any details on this subject. They gave me inaccurate information which cost me PKR8500 more when I could’ve just as easily travelled on my e-visa. If anyone can put my curiosity to rest about their cluelessness, I would be forever grateful. I have, however, arrived at the conclusion that the e-visa is very much real (contrary to what they told me) so if you want to save time and money then you can go ahead and opt for this. Or you can pay PKR 5000 extra for the other one. Or be over-efficient like me and show up with both (*hides face*). Whatever floats your boat. Either way, at least you now know this option exists.

Update: For anyone reading this, please know that I am not an authority on the subject. I have merely shared a personal experience and any information I gathered in the process of applying for and obtaining my own visa(s). I put it down into this blog post with the intention of helping others make a more informed decision and because I wished I had access to this info before my own trip. Whether you apply for an e-visa or not personally yields no benefit to me and I am not responsible or take any guarantees for any individual’s approval through immigration. Thanks.

Until next time.

*****

If you’re interested in reading about our other adventures in Malaysia, here are the links:

Related

94 thoughts on “Malaysian e-Visa for Pakistanis – Everything You Need to Know”

Omg!! Only if i had read this a week ago.
I searched all over they internet for the relevant info..i was furstrated and couldnt digest the fact that the agents charges us no less than 8000 for the visa that states r.s 600 on the websites and moreover mentioned on theVisa itself.
I finally gave in and went for the tradiotional practice.
But this piece of information has surely given my furstration some ease.

Your story is an interesting one. Why dont you write ti the Malaysian government or Foriegn office and bring this to their notice? After all Malaysians are promoting tourism MM2 and Malaysia truly asia option with lots of Pakistan travelling to KL on a regular basis. Iz would be a great public service for the travellers.

Thanks for the input! I shall definitely look into this. I think it’s really important that things like this should be common knowledge so people know that the option exists and can make more informed decisions.

In Evisa asking about the confirmation Air Ticket and Hotel Booking / My Question is :

1- For Air Tickets: only booking confirmation is enough to attached or they need with payment confirmation , bcuz until or unless visa not confirm how can i buy tickets, as i am planning to travel with my family and we are 4 family members, incase rejection i would lost of money for tickets and hotel accommodation as well.

You can get hotel bookings that are refundable. And you need to attach your ticket booking (the payment confirmation is not necessary). Usually, if you’ve attached all your documents, paid the fee and satisfied their requirements, I haven’t heard of anyone’s visa getting rejected.

Hi Thanks for the input. Me and wife are also in struggle of finding out its credibility. We are regular travellers and been to KL many times. I will try this option and let you know about our exp later. I think travel agenst wont tell you bcz of their profits in regular visa. Thanks again for sharing this.

I’m so glad you found this helpful! I actually shared this on a few travel groups and some other people have shared positive experiences as well so hopefully you and your wife won’t have any issues. I’d love it if you guys could share your experience; I can add it to the post so other people can be more certain about its credibility 🙂 Good luck and I hope you have an amazing trip.

I’m not surprised. There seems to be very little awareness regarding the e-visa unfortunately. We travelled on PIA but I definitely wouldn’t recommend. Have you visited the Etihad booking office to get an OK to Board?

So Updates till now: Etihad refused straight away that we don’t give “ok to board”. While I heard 2 people being off-boarded on Isb Airport for not having “ok to board”. Now considering to change carrier to PIA if they agree to provide ok-to-board.

May i know from which city you travelled? i am scheduled to travel tomorrow from Karachi. I am travelling with the Srilankan airlines and called them to ask if i am required to have an “OK to Board” stamp. The person who received the phone said that i can not travel using the EVISA as there were cases when the passengers were barred from travelling. He further mentioned that the Malaysian consulate in Karachi has directed the airlines to not to entertain the passengers that are travelling using the EVISA. Upon hearing that i called the Malaysian consulate in Karachi and the person on the other side gave an almost similar information while adding that Pakistanis are not eligible to travel using the EVISA that is issued from the NEW DEHLI.

Upon receiving this contrasting information from the Srilankan airline and Malaysian consulate, i am really unsure as what should be my action. Shall, i continue with my travel plan tomorrow, or just call off everything and apply for a social visit Visa from Malaysian consulate in Karachi.

First of all, I must thank you for this informative blog. In addition, I would like to thank other contributors, especially Ahsan whom I personally contacted, and he shared very useful information with me. I managed to get to Malaysia safely. The Sri Lankan airlines gave me boarding passes with a warning that my departure depends solely on immigration discretion and they refused to stamp “ok to board”. I proceeded to immigration, and the officer whom I presented my passport pretended to have no idea, and complained that the place of issuing visas was New Delhi (which we have no control to change). He hurried to ask his superior officer about my case, who surprisingly ordered him to let me go. I agree with Rimsha’s latest comment on this thread that immigration has begun to accept the Evisa of Malaysia. Overall my experience was quite smooth. Is it just that I am still unable to understand why the Malaysian consulate in Karachi is providing reasonably inaccurate and misleading information?

I have another question if anyone can answer that. The instructions on my E-visa confirmation email read that I have to show credit/debit cards with ‘Union Pay’ logo at the immigration counter while entering Malaysia. I am a bit confused. Do they really ask for it ? Do only cards with union pay are accepted all around malaysia at POS and ATMs?
Will be great if someone can answer that.

Thank you for the quick response.
Yes. I have applied through Windows Malaysia. So this is confusing. May be in that case I can take cash along with me. I don’t know why it mentions that then. I do not have a union pay enabled card.

I really can’t say why that’s mentioned since I didn’t come across anything like that when I applied myself. Perhaps you can post a query on the TripAdvisor link I’ve shared in the post and someone might be able to help you?

Hello Zeeshan,
In my experience, Malaysian immigration did not ask for proof of expenditure. At the immigration desk in Malaysia, i only submitted the Evisa and the return ticket. However, bringing some cash will be helpful, as you may also need cash to pay KLIA bus/taxi fares to the city center, i.e., KL Sentral. Therefore, in addition to your Master or Visa cards, i will suggest carrying a cash amount of RM 1000-2000 that can be shown to immigration if they insist to see your means of support while your stay in Malaysia

For your question: Do they really ask for it ?
Answer: The immigration officer may or may not apply. In general, all types of cards are accepted as means of financial support. In my PERSONAL point of view, you need not worry about it.

For your another question: Do only cards with union pay are accepted all around malaysia at POS and ATMs?
Answer: Both Mater and Visa cards are accepted at Malaysian ATMs

hello shahid
could you please share your experience traveling from jeddah to Kuala Lumpur.
did u face any difficulty with jeddah airport staff accepting Evisa as it launched recently for Pakistani and they might not be familiar with it.

You are welcome! I’m happy my post could help 🙂 And I’m glad to hear that you’ve managed to reach safely. I hope you have a wonderful trip. I have no idea why the Malaysian Consulate is unwilling to let people find out about the e-visa. May have something to do with the fact that they charge a whole lot more than the actual visa fee to issue a visa. Really hoping someone can find some sort of explanation for this

Thank you so much for posting this. This is really helpful and helped ease nerves. I plan to travel from Islamabad after Eid iwith family and currently going through the same ‘trauma’as I have eVisa. My carrier is PIA and asked my travel agent to called them on Friday to check about Ok to Board thing. He told me that PIA has no clue about OK to Board for Malaysia. Now I am planning to visit PIA on Monday to check. Ok to Board thigs has made me nervous.
My travel agent put me conference call with his contact in Karachi Consulate and he had no clue about e-Visa. I personally called Hiigh Commission in Islamabad and inquired about the e-Visa . The person said they do not have much information about e-Visa however he told me that if the visa is from windowmalaysia then it should be genuine. It beyond my understanding why people at the consulate fail to provide any information on e-visa.

Hello, I’m so glad this information was helpful to you! A few people have written to me and said that Ok To Board is no longer needed since the FIA people now know about the e-visa. If you can still get it, it might just be a safer option. Otherwise, hopefully you should be fine without it too 🙂 Good luck and I hope you have a great trip!

Ok to board is not required 100% to Malaysian Evisa from any airline. Please just be confident and travel. I have just been there on PIA No such requirement. It’s only required for UAE visit paper visa. Jazak Allah

Thank you all , everybody is chipping in with whatever little information they have . I plan to visit Malaysia next month and am curious about the e-visa for pakistanisale . Waiting for updates from Mr. Zeeshan . Thank you All once again.

Hello, Thanks for the extremely helpful post. I am in Process of Applying for an evisa. Can any one tell me if its ok to upload the PDF file of eticket that PIA emailed me or do I have to print the ticket scan it and then upload it. Thanks..

Dear Mohammad,
I did not travel from Jeddah. My e-visa was issued from Jeddah. I travelled from Islamabad. I did not face any issues. i had okay to board stamp. Though I am nor sure if that was required or not.

Hey guys!
I just want to know one thing from those who already traveled on evisa to Malaysia, my passport has no blank page left so im wondering if they would paste a visa sticker on my passport after landing in Malaysia or just a hard copy of evisa would be enough for them and there will be no need of pasting visa sticker.

Thanks for your valuable input. In this day and age of technology it makes sense to let legitimate travellers and tourists apply for visas thru online portals. All documents should be provided to satisfy the embassy officials and hence a more convenient way of applying encouraged.

Do i require an OK TO BOARD stamp on my e visa? The ticketing guy at the PIA reservation made confusing remarks and said that I may require OK TO BOARD stamp. Moreover, he also said that i would have to SPECIFICALLY add EVISA as remarks in my ticket reservation. Can anybody help! My flight is on 6th and the thing is getting onto my nerves now

Arsalan, a few of the people who have travelled recently have written to me saying that OK to Board is not required. Also, check TripAdvisor. My advice would be to not worry about it and focus on getting ready for your trip 🙂

Hello Everybody. First of all, I must thank Rimsha for this blog which gave me courage to apply for E-visa. I applied E-visa for my wife, son and myself today and surprisingly, got approval email after just 2 hours. Before applying, i have written to Malaysian embassy Karachi, Islamabad but none of them give satisfactory response. Islamabad Embassy only responded that for Evisa, check windowsmalaysia website. Then i wrote to immigration officer, email of which i got from Malaysian Immigration website who positively responded that Pakistani are eligible for E-visa and windowsmalaysia is official government website. Now, My travel is planned in November so now i have to check for last mystery i.e OK to board stamp from Emirates Airline. Thanks again to all people who have shared their experience here.

Zeshan, thank you for you sharing your experience and I’m glad you found the blog useful. I’ve been hearing that an Ok to Board is no longer required so don’t worry about it. Hope you have a great trip! 🙂

Dear Friends AOA
I along with wife travelled to Malaysia.
1. Got a E-Visa applied on line from Islamabad
2. Travelled By PIA Isb-Khi-Kul flight. At Khi the Immigration Staff was satisfied with the E-visa however asked me to get an OK TO BOARD stamp from PIA staff to which when I told him that there is no such requirement for people travelling to Far East and specially By PIA he agreed . I am not sure if Middle Eastern Airliners require that, but for PIA NO REQUIREMENT.
3. On Arrival at Kulalumpur NO questions about any thing , by Immigration Staff , quietly Endorsed a rubber stamp of Entry on passport .
4. I have been using my VISA credit card at all places in Malaysia and it worked not quite sure about Debit Card.
5. Always good to carry some local Cash in Ringgit 1500- 2000 for Taxi and small payments.
Be confident and ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAYS !!!!!

A lot of people have said that you no longer need an OK to Board since the Immigration authorities are now aware that the e-visa is legit. Some people have shared their experiences here in the comments and on TripAdvisor. Please feel free to read through them.

Hey found your blog and it is amazing. I am traveling to KL to attend my Grad School convocation next month and attend a few business meetings. Was looking for the legitimacy of the E-Visa. You are a life saver and i get the visa process done immediately.

So after hearing mixed views on the “Ok to Board” requirement I decided to get it done. I called PIA help line, it was not at all useful. I emailed PIA customer care for clarification, although they replied promptly they were not able to help either. So today I just went to the PIA office. The officer was very helpful. He asked for the print out of my eVisa, my passport and my credit card. He went on windomalaysia website and looked up the visa number and passport number. He then added comments to my PNR and finally stamped the OK to Board stamp on the visa printout. Over all it was a very simple process.
Although some people have travelled without the OK to board status, but knowing that it is PIA and it really depends on the officer on duty at the airport, I suggest to play it safe for now and get the OK to board from the PIA office.
Hope this helps.

Well your experience on e-visa for Malaysia is really an eye opener. i’ve been searching for options online and none would take you through the entire process.

I am planning to go the Singapore and have to go via KL because of some limitations. After a few days of work in Singapore have to follow the same route i.e. via KL. I tried to check if the online also offered an option for multiple entries into Malaysia.

I’m not sure if there’s a multiple entry option since the one I applied for was single entry but you can check out the window malaysia website. They’ll probably have more information about other options that might work for you! Good luck 🙂

You can only apply for a Single Entry Visa (SEV) and it’s good for a single journey to Malaysia.

Multiple Entry Visa (MEV) seems to be available online only for Indian nationals.

If one needs to go to Singapore, better to take a flight from within KLIA1/T1. Malaysian Air or Malindo Air should do. No need to change the terminal (which requires visa) to take Air Asia or other low cost airlines.

Appreciate your response. Thanks. I did mange to get the evisa today and that was within 24 hrs. Although had a lot of difficulty in getting the form and attachments uploaded. Asked the online help guys – they tried to give tips but nothing worked. So it was like a trial and error and finally it went into the preview mode. This bit of info is for potential travellers who maybe seeking the evisa.

Can anyone tell me i have no bank statment because im living in philippines for last 2 years on tourist visa so i didnot open my bank account because of to much requirements and im eligble to open a dollar account only because im on tourist visa so thats why i dont open bank account here so i have no bank statment what should i do ? Can im able to apply evisa without bank statement or i have some friends here can i get their bank statment to them and attach with my evisa ?
Redards

Hi bro can you please let me know that the requirement for visa is personal bank statement but my perosnal bank statement is not that strong but i own my company it has a good statement and i want to attach its bank statement. Is it possible?

Hey guys I’m planning on going to Malaysia in the mid of next month and I wanted to know how long is the duration of E-visa for Pakistanis? Is the visa duration for 3 months and you can stay there for one month in between time or do you get just one month total visa in which you need to travel? Kindly someone please clear this up for me would be grateful.
Secondly I wanted to know if i have my own personal accommodation in Malaysia do I have to show any proof while travelling through E-visa? I’m asking this because i did not had to show any proof previously when travelling through traditional methods. Thanks.

Thanks Mr. Zeeshan, do you live in Jeddah , actually i am also interested to visit Malaysia through
E-visa , that’s why i have some questions which is already cleared but if you are in jeddah to have a meeting with you to get some information, if you may please.

Well since i didn’t have to go thru this process as am travelling alone so cannot advise. Zeeshan could be right.
But you may also check with the online help that is available – can chat with the person & see if it helps.

This might sound like an insane question, but – how do you indicate your address in Pakistan?? I am filling out the form now (I am abroad), and it will let me indicate any country of residence EXCEPT for the countries of South Asia. Pakistan is just not an option. Has this been an issue for anyone else? I feel like I’m going crazy.

Figured it out. The website has some intense geolocation. I was in the US while trying to work this out, and it was impossible. now that I’m back in Pakistan, its easily selectable. Sadly, I’m now up against the wire in terms of getting it in time!

actually by mistake or i have uploaded hotel accommodation in flight section for my daughter’s evisa application, although i have applied 04 applications with to gather.

Just i need to know, immigration office will reject directly or will be chance to amend the required missing information , all 3 applications are submitting correctly but on 1 application has this problem.